


In Dreams

by Emsiecat



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Comfort, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Fluff, Have a Happy Hobbit Holiday Gift Exchange, Light Angst, M/M, Prophetic Dreams, Seer Thorin Oakenshield, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 09:39:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13004994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emsiecat/pseuds/Emsiecat
Summary: One winter morning, Thorin shares a secret about himself...His dreams sometimes show him the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gaaladrieel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaaladrieel/gifts).



> For the lovely Gaaladrieel. I hope you have a very Happy Hobbit-y Holiday!
> 
> And many thanks to McManatea for beta reading this!

"Did I ever tell you of the dreams I have?"

The question was a rhetorical one, one murmured into the darkness of the pre-dawn when The Shire was quiet and sleepy still. Fat white snowflakes fell outside and muffled the world as if wrapping it in a thick down duvet.

Thorin had never before mentioned his dreams and he knew this well enough. He had not had the courage before; having seen the reaction such confessions had earned him in the past.

Now however, living a life of peace and all his battles won, Thorin felt a desire to share this secret about himself with one that he loved and trusted above most others.

There was a shift of fabric as Bilbo turned to face Thorin beneath the covers, accompanied by a quiet snuffle as the hobbit wriggled his nose and reluctantly opened his eyes.

"Hm, let me guess… of blackberry pie and breakfast in bed?" Bilbo's voice was languid with lingering slumber and Thorin had to chuckle at the reply.

"No."

"Then what dreams did you mean?" Bilbo asked around a yawn. Thorin felt a little guilty for having woken him when he noticed this. Bilbo saw the apologetic expression despite the dimness of the room and assuaged it with a quick peck to the tip of Thorin's nose.

The dwarf's smile returned and he reached out to wrap an arm around Bilbo's waist as he hesitated suddenly over answering the question, unsure how to begin.

"Of the future," he began.

"Our future?"

"Aye, but the future in general as well. I have- I have had such dreams ever since I was naught but a dwarfling."

Understanding dawned on Bilbo's face and Thorin was relieved to see there was no disbelief or ridicule to be found there. However, a slight frown hinted at some form of disapproval.

"Why have you never told me this before?"

"I would have thought that obvious," Thorin's tone was gentle as he brushed a few wayward curls from Bilbo's forehead. "I feared you might not believe me, or else distrust me because of this."

Bilbo's features softened and he shifted closer to tuck his head beneath Thorin's chin. "I can assure you that after all we have been through, the idea of you being some kind of Seer hardly startles me."

Smiling lips nuzzled the hobbit's curls and Thorin felt any concerns over sharing this secret with his husband melt away in the face of Bilbo's usual forthright manner.

"I have heard tales about such things," Bilbo continued. "Is it not… frustrating? Sometimes frightening and lonely when you see things you cannot hope to change or, as you mentioned, that people do not believe could be true?"

Trust his quick-witted hobbit to reach the heart of the matter so quickly, Thorin thought with no small amount of affection. "Very much so. It has become easier to bear with age, however."

"Well, perhaps I can help there then, with the loneliness at least." Bilbo situated himself more comfortably within Thorin's hold and stifled another yawn. "There's no need for us to be up for a long while yet, and if you're amenable I should like to hear about your dreams."

"Which ones?"

"Why, all of them, of course!"

Thorin fought laughter again and the rush of warmth in his chest was enough to make his heart sing in gratitude. "I think there may be far too many for me to tell you all of them, _amrâlimê._ Besides, I could not hope to remember every Future Dream I have had, but I would gladly tell you any that I can."

"Not only the good, mind," Bilbo hummed, his voice shrewd. "I know you; you'll keep all the upsetting ones locked away given half a chance, and I imagine they're the ones that need to be shared the most."

Thorin huffed but knew his hobbit was right in his estimation. On such a cosy morning as this, Thorin would mislike telling of the darker dreams he had endured, and without prompting would probably avoid telling them. However, he knew that it was important to share both the good and bad, and he would be truthful if Bilbo asked it of him.

"As I said; I will gladly tell you any that I can."

"Well in that case, what is the first dream you remember having, then?"

That one was easy enough at least, and a pleasant dream as well. Thorin relaxed somewhat, his voice adopting an easy and almost sleepy cadence as he recalled the first Future Dream he had ever had.

Not that he had known it was a Future Dream then, of course. He had been far too young. As it was, Thorin could only recall the sheer joy he had felt in the dream at first.

 

* * *

 

_It had taken an extra hour abed and plenty of childish, dogged determination to remember the dream with clarity._

_He had dreamed he was older, Thorin recalled, face scrunched in concentration and arms akimbo as he simultaneously tried to snatch back fragments of the images he had seen behind his eyelids and pray that he wasn't about to be called for breakfast. Surely that would shatter his concentration and any hopes of remembering his dream at all!_

_He had been older, and had a beard! Not as full as most adult dwarves, that was true, but it had certainly been more than the downy fuzz that currently covered his cheeks and that was just wonderful!_

_There had been another dwarf next to him, younger than he and pouting as Thorin was handed a small bundle of blanket, inside which was a tiny infant who stared up at them both._

_"Thorin, Frerin, I would like to introduce you to someone. This is your little sister; her name is Dís." Mother's voice had been there, soft and full of delight._

_The other young dwarf, Frerin, had just complained that he was not the one holding Dís, only for the little one to reach out and give a prodigious tug on one of Frerin's clumsy braids._

_"Ah! Ow,_ Amad _she's really strong! Why is she so strong when she is so tiny? That's not fair!"_

_Dís had waved pudgy fists and squealed as if she found Frerin's complaints funny and Thorin had felt this dream Thorin's amusement as if it were his own._

_The visions faded and Thorin had leapt from his bed to go and tell his mother about the dream. It had been lovely after all; he had always wanted brothers and sisters. Maybe someday it would come true!_

 

* * *

 

"My mother assumed much as I had, that I had simply had a vivid and wishful dream and thus it was left at that. After all, as you know it is rare for dwarves to have more than one child. For mother to have two more after me would be highly unusual, and to have a daughter all the more so."

Bilbo nodded along, a gentle smile on his lips. "It must have come as a surprise when you ended up with those very siblings you had dreamed of, then. Tell me, did you mention to your mother the names your dream siblings had? Do you think she named them according to your dream, or were they named accordingly anyway?"

Thorin rubbed at his beard in thought and shook his head. "I honestly cannot recall if I told mother the names I heard in my dream. I find sometimes that it is best not to think too much on the details and how the future may be affected by having these dreams. It only ever ends in a headache."

Bilbo snickered. "Speaking from past bitter experience, I gather?"

"Aye, I recall telling Frerin of my ability when he was still very young. He used to try to wheedle details of my dreams out of me every single morning. He wished to know if he would become a great warrior like our grandfather. I tried multiple times to explain that I could not control the dreams or always remember them well, but he seemed to think I was just being an irritating older brother and keeping things from him."

"You still tried though, just to please him," Bilbo guessed and Thorin nodded.

"Hence the frequent headaches," Thorin grinned wryly.

"You will let me know if remembering all this for me is causing you a headache though, won't you?" Bilbo sat up a little and gave the dwarf a stern look.

Thorin responded by raising a hand as if taking an oath. "May my beard fall out if I fail to do so."

Bilbo snorted in amusement and settled back again, murmuring a haughty little 'very good' as he did so. Thorin cast his mind back and tried to recall another dream.

"I think the next one I remember well was my first meeting with Dwalin…"

 

* * *

 

_In his dream, young Thorin had been running through the hallways of Erebor to try to escape the guards. This in itself was not unusual in either dream or the waking world. Thorin, prince or no, was a child just like any other and there were simply some lessons he detested. It would often end in a game of cat and mouse as Thorin would hide as best he could in the city and try to avoid the guards sent by his tutors to bring him back._

_He was quite good at avoiding them, if he did say so himself, and though he would usually be scolded once he returned to the royal quarters, he rarely ran into any trouble worse than that._

_Not this day, however._

_In this dream, Thorin had turned a corner while looking back over his shoulder, only to run right into another young dwarf._

_The other young dwarf had been_ furious _at being knocked down and dropping the foodstuffs he had just bought at market. From what Thorin could gather through the shouting, the cakes had been a name-day present for the dwarf's elder brother, and now they were ruined!_

 _Thorin had argued back that the other dwarf should have been looking where he was going as well. It was not only Thorin's fault. Besides which, the cakes didn't look_ that _expensive or even very special, the dwarf could simply buy some more._

_The squabble had escalated and devolved into an all-out brawl between the two youngsters soon after, which only ended when the guards caught up to Thorin and pried the lads off one another, by which time Thorin sported a black eye and the other dwarf a cut lip and bloody nose._

_Dream Thorin was soundly scolded once the guards took both boys back to the royal quarters and Thorin was made to pay for the ruined cakes himself as such behaviour was 'not befitting of a prince'. However, this seemed to appease the other lad well enough who, only somewhat grudgingly, introduced himself as Dwalin when a clearly sulking Thorin was told to shake his hand and apologise._

_Dwalin had complimented Thorin's fighting style, handkerchief still pressed to his nose, and Thorin had decided that perhaps this dwarf wasn't_ all _bad._

_Upon waking, Thorin thought that he would quite like to meet this Dwalin fellow under friendlier circumstances. Punching someone in the face was hardly a good basis for introduction outside the training grounds. And so, the young prince had endeavoured to avoid running into Dwalin as he had in his dream._

_Unfortunately, Thorin was to learn one of the first harsh lessons of attempting to change the future: sometimes, things that you change only make future events worse._

_In avoiding, the area he had collided with Dwalin the next time Thorin was running from the guards, he only managed to delay their meeting by mere moments._

_This time, instead of colliding with Dwalin just outside of the marketplace, he crashed into him at the top of a steep staircase, sending both young dwarves tumbling from the top to the bottom._

_Thorin ended up with a broken leg, Dwalin with his arm in a sling and a large gash above one eye; both boys were bruised black and blue and had to spend the night in the infirmary. The cakes were still ruined._

_Still, it wasn't all bad. Thorin and Dwalin befriended one another all the same, Thorin not even trying to argue when Dwalin claimed he was 'the clumsiest oaf of a prince he had ever met,' such was Thorin's guilt over how much worse their injuries were than in his dream._

_Thorin, quite uncharacteristically, had been quiet and mumbled apology after apology, so much so that Dwalin had reached out, gently thwapped the back of Thorin's head, and told him all was well, and if the gash above his eye scarred he would be able to tell people he earned it in a great battle!_

_This had earned Dwalin a smile and the two became nigh-inseparable over time._

 

* * *

 

"So by trying to change the events in your dream, you only made matters worse?" Bilbo touched Thorin's forearm in sympathy and Thorin nodded, smile a little grim.

"Now you realise why even during the course of our Quest we had such trouble. Even if I _had_ dreamed of some of our… earlier misfortunes… had I tried to change them things could have been so much worse."

"You didn't dream of our Quest?"

"Not that I can recall very well, no… not until later in the Quest, at least. After the incident with Dwalin I was very cautious over my dreams. I tried to pay as little heed to them as possible and did not try very hard to remember them when I woke, and after, well… after Smaug I tried to block them out altogether."

"Do you mean to say that you dreamed of Smaug's coming?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Thorin, what did you do?"

"I tried to warn them…"

 

* * *

 

_Thorin reached adulthood before he had another dream so intense that it shook him to his very core._

_He was running, shouting for the guard, warning his people of the impending calamity…_

_The doors of Erebor's main entrance groaned under the force of something huge slamming against them, angry roars and flame licked through the cracks and the doors shuddered again._

_Another strike, then once more, and the doors finally gave way just as Thorin and the guard formed ranks and armed themselves._

_A dragon stormed their city._

_He could feel the fear in himself and every dwarf around him, hear the shrieks of pain, the heat of the fire, the panicked, whirling conflicting thoughts of fight, fight, get out, run!_

_Thorin had woken with a cry on his lips, soaked with sweat as he fell out of bed, retching at the fear he still felt clinging to his soul like oil._

_He had to tell someone of this._

_He knew it, knew it as surely as his own name that this was no mere nightmare. This was another Future Dream. A dragon would attack their home._

 

* * *

 

"I went to my grandmother," Thorin murmured quietly. "I had learned over the years that very few folk would believe you and not think you mad if you told them you could see the future in your dreams. Even those familiar with such abilities were sceptical. My grandmother,though, she had believed me the few times I had told her my dreams as a child. She said that once upon a time she had been able to see them too, but that the ability had slowly waned over the years and she had never seen anything as clearly as I had."

"What did she do?"

 

* * *

 

_Thorin's grandmother had received Thorin into her chambers despite the lateness of the hour, the distraught expression on his face and sweat-soaked hair more than enough to convince her that something was terribly amiss with her eldest grandchild._

_"Sit, Madtûn. Tell me what is wrong."_

_Thorin did not sit, instead he paced, eyes wild as he glanced time and again at the merrily crackling fire in the hearth of his grandmother's sitting room. He wished to douse those flames more than anything in that moment._

_"Sigin'Amad… you remember my dreams, yes?"_

_"Of course… you have seen something upsetting?"_

_"Yes… Erebor. The mountain, the city will fall. They - so many will perish."_

_There was a shaking in Thorin's limbs, a tremor in his voice, which Brynja had never witnessed in him before. Thorin never showed fear in such a way. Even as a youngster, he was calm and collected even in the direst of situations. She did not bother questioning him on his surety of his vision._

_"How?"_

_"Dragon - " Thorin could barely choke out the answer._

_Brynja was on her feet in a moment, stopping Thorin as he continued to pace the room and enfolded him in an embrace._

_"I will not allow that to happen, Thorin. Erebor will not fall to such a fate, I swear it."_

_"How can you be certain?"_

_"I will take precautions; we will have to be careful. I will talk to your grandfather and see what can be done, what we can do to prevent this."_

_A shuddering sigh of relief escaped Thorin and he finally returned her embrace gratefully._

_"Thank you, Sigin'Amad."_

_Had Thorin been in the right frame of mind, he might have stayed longer and spoken in more detail of his dream._

_But he had let fear rule him this one time, and had trusted his stalwart grandmother to arrange everything that was needed to protect their home._

_Had he thought longer on his grandmother's response he might have realised the oversight he had made._

_In telling his grandmother only that a dragon would cause the downfall of their kingdom, he had not been specific enough._

_Thror had been growing more dragon-like in character these passing few years. A sickness had grown within him and few but those closest to him had noticed it yet._

_Thorin realised with horror mere weeks later when the dragon attacked their home unchallenged that his grandmother, so fraught with worry over her husband, had assumed_ he _was the figurative dragon Thorin had referred to and not a living, breathing drake._

_Brynja wept into Thorin's shoulder, apologies thick on her tongue as they fled Erebor._

 

* * *

 

"After that, I just stopped trying to remember anything about my dreams. I was a poor sleeper. Light and easily disturbed was all my rest henceforth. I suppose I thought that if I slept as little as possible the Future Dreams would leave me be."

"But they did not?" Bilbo hazarded a guess.

"No. I still caught glimpses of things. The birth of Fíli and Kíli, the death of Dís's husband… More than anything, though, I wish I had tried to do something when I caught a glimpse of Azanulbizar. However, by then my grandfather was too far gone in his desire for power, our people too desperate for a place to call home, that I doubt a single soul would have listened even if I had stronger proof of my ability."

Bilbo had extricated himself from Thorin's hold during the telling of the dream about Smaug so that he could look at his husband properly and gauge his emotions. Now he changed their positions, gently tugging the dwarf into his arms as Thorin willingly curled himself around Bilbo and rested his head upon the hobbit's chest, taking solace in the steady beat of his heart.

Bilbo was offering him wordless support and comfort, and Thorin was more than willing to accept it.

"After Azanulbizar I tried all the more to block out the dreams. I ignored them where I could, and gained advice from Óin on how best to sleep dreamlessly. He knows a little about such things, after all, though I do not think he quite understood why I wanted dreamless sleep. I think that perhaps he assumed that I suffered from flashbacks of the battle and Smaug's attack. I did, but the Future Dreams always seemed worse than those did somehow. After all, if I could not use the dreams to help my kin and change our fates when evil befell us, then what good were they? It seemed to work for a time… I was able to sleep without seeing glimpses of the future at all. Until I reached Bag End, of course…"

Here Thorin's lips quirked into a hesitant semblance of a smile, and Bilbo blinked in surprise.

"You had a Future Dream the night before we began the Quest?"

"Aye, it was actually one of the more pleasant ones. However, at the time I disregarded it as just a normal dream, a strange fancy. I believe now though that it was certainly a peek into the future."

"How can you be sure?"

"Well…"

 

* * *

 

_Thorin had settled himself comfortably in the best guestroom Bag End had to offer. For all the hobbit was not at all suited to their quest, he was at least a most diligent host, even though it was clear the sudden appearance of Thorin and his kin had taken him by surprise._

_It was a lovely home, Thorin allowed. Not a mountain of course, but it was warm and comfortable, sensibly underground, well-stocked, and beautifully decorated. It would be pleasant to stay here a few days more, had they the time and Master Baggins the willingness to let them._

_He seemed a pleasant enough fellow, so he might have let them…_

_It was with these thoughts still fresh in his mind that Thorin had fallen asleep and so credited them for the strange dream he had that night._

_He dreamed that he awoke not in the guest bed, but in another. Clearly he was still in Bag End, but this bed was bigger, the room decorated differently. It felt familiar though. It felt like home._

_Thorin yawned, stretched, and wandered down the hallway to the kitchen as if he did it every day of his life._

_Bilbo was standing before the kitchen sink, a mug of tea in hand and his concentration entirely on the sleety rain falling outside the window. The weather was growing colder and he grumbled something to himself about not being able to take their Yule shopping trip to Frogmorton if the weather did not ease. Thorin smiled._

_It was quite difficult to sneak up on a hobbit usually, but when one was lost in thought, the task became just a little easier. The dwarf took this advantage and crept up behind Bilbo, slipping his arms around his waist and resting his chin upon the hobbit's shoulder._

_Bilbo squeaked and fussed, admonishing Thorin for nearly making him drop his mug. Thorin laughed more than he apologised, but the exasperated smile on Bilbo's face assured him that he wasn't in any real trouble for surprising him._

_"Do you think it will stop before second breakfast?" Bilbo nodded towards the window at the sleet outside._

_"Unfortunately not, I heard from Mister Proudfoot that it is only going to get worse in the coming days. Snow for Yule this year I’d wager."_

_"Well, I suppose Frogmorton is a bad idea then…"_

_"Probably. If you like, we could go to the Green Dragon instead and visit a few of the shops down by The Water. Or perhaps invite Hamfast and his family 'round if you'd rather not go out today at all."_

_"Hm, we could do that… It has been a while since Hamfast and his brood visited."_

_"That's settled, then." Thorin smiled and turned the hobbit still in the circle of his arms around so that he could steal a kiss._

_Thorin woke in confusion, fingers rising instinctively to brush over lips that tingled pleasantly. He frowned and shook off the lingering feeling of contentment the dream had left him with._

_It did not stop his thoughts from circling back to the dream as he packed his belongings that morning, nor the blush which warmed his face as he passed the open door of Bilbo's bedroom and spied the hobbit still sound asleep in a room that was startlingly familiar._

 

* * *

 

"Our conversation in the kitchen from last Sterday?"

"Yes. I did not recall that the conversation had been in my dream until we were already speaking it. It is actually part of what prompted me to tell you about all this. I had just been waiting for the right moment."

"And before dawn on a snowy winter day is the right moment?" Bilbo teased gently.

Thorin ducked his head, hiding a grin. "Well, perhaps it might be better to say it was less of waiting for the right time and more that I was trying to muster the courage."

Bilbo combed comforting fingers through the dwarf's hair but Thorin did not miss the yawn Bilbo did his best to hide.

"If you are tired we should get some more sleep. I've woken you far too early to talk about such serious matters."

"Ah no, you'll not escape so easily. I am curious to learn now if you had any more dreams about me after the one in Bag End." Bilbo chortled at his own vanity.

"Quite a few actually." Thorin shook his head in amusement. "It was… frustrating, when I distrusted you so to begin with. I thought it was merely an ill-advised attraction and not that they were portents of what was to come for our relationship."

"Were they terribly romantic?"

Thorin had wanted to smile at the question, but felt the old ghosts of regret and guilt begin to creep upon him instead, a frown usurping his features.

"Some were, but as we neared Erebor, I began to have… nightmares. What I thought were nightmares, anyway."

Bilbo's fingers stilled in Thorin's hair and the hobbit frowned, suspicion rising. "You dreamed of the Dragon Sickness didn't you."

"Yes. Just flashes… glimpses, but I should have known by then what they meant. I saw-" here Thorin swallowed thickly before continuing- "I saw the battlements. Saw myself threaten-"

"You weren't to know, Thorin."

Thorin nodded reluctantly and a kiss to the crown of his head let him know that once more — and always — all was forgiven.

"Thank you."

"No need," Bilbo replied easily, and then added (as if hoping to take Thorin's mind off the darker dreams) "Have there been any others? Since Erebor was reclaimed, I mean."

"Hm, not so much. Now that I have such an easy life as this, it is merely everyday and ordinary things I dream of."

"I do hope you're not implying that's a bad thing," Bilbo looked at his husband sidelong, as if trying to figure out what he meant. "If your life is too easy for you now, Mister Baggins, I'm sure I can think of some more difficult chores for you… or maybe hint to the farmers that you would like to help them in the fields come spring."

The last of the shadows left Thorin's eyes as he barked a laugh at this. "The farmers would deeply regret accepting my help and the Shire would have a poor harvest, I should think."

"Oh goodness no, I'd not let you anywhere _near_ the plants. Nor would the farmers, if they had a lick of sense. I was talking more about the heavy lifting and ploughing. You'd be tolerably useful there, I'm sure."

"Ah, _tolerably_ useful, he says," Thorin sighed as if the words wounded him and the pair fell into playful bickering and banter, though Thorin was kind enough to assure Bilbo that an ordinary life was a lovely thing to have after so many years of struggle.


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a teeny tiny epilogue :3

It wasn't until some months later that Thorin had another dream. And this one Thorin felt noteworthy enough to wake Bilbo to tell.

"We will be named uncles in the future, you know."

Bilbo huffed a breath against Thorin's neck and refused to open his eyes, though the dwarf could feel his smile against his skin, warm and inviting. "I thought we already were."

"To Fíli and Kíli, yes. I was speaking about one of your cousins, though."

That gave Bilbo pause, curious now. "Truly?"

"Hm, Prim and Drogo. They'll have a wee lad and name us his uncles. I do hope you're prepared to look after a fauntling every now and then. The youngster seems to enjoy Uncle Bilbo's stories of adventures in the wild."

"Drogo will skin us alive if we corrupt his future son with any Tookish ideas," Bilbo snickered.

"I'm sure he will forgive us. Especially if his son grows to be as brave as his Uncle Bilbo. You saved Erebor, perhaps this little one will grow to save Gondor, or Rohan…"

"Hm, why not all of Middle Earth whilst he's at it," Bilbo jested and poked his husband's side, causing Thorin to squirm and stifle laughter.

"He is a hobbit; I would say anything is possible where your kind is concerned."

"Now that really  _ would _ be something. Do let me know if you see that in a dream won't you. Or anything else equally fantastical, like talking trees or armies of ghosts."

Thorin pulled Bilbo close, grinning at the absurdity of their early morning conversation. "Of course."

**Author's Note:**

> Khuzdul:
> 
> Madtûn - A dwarvish nickname, meaning 'brave one'  
> Sigin'Amad - Grandmother


End file.
